Wonderland
by wolfluv6136xonico6426
Summary: (NOT an Alice in Wonderland theme, sorry) Lets look into the mind of Nico, a curious son of Hades at the young age of 16, shall we? Conflicted, yes. Proper, mostly. Sanity, some. Crazy, not a chance. Nico and Skipper(OC) being friends. When confliciton arrives, Nico need some help sorting out some of his priorities from the help of Will Solace, Nico's 'secret' love. [some smut]
1. As Chocolate is to Dogs

1. As Chocolate Is To Dogs

There was a wind coming from nowhere, sweeping his dark hair to the side. His sea-green eyes were bright and happy. He was laughing, the most beautiful sound. Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, the most handsome demigod of the century.

Then I woke up. I cursed my damned mind for thinking of him. First of all, I'm a son of Hades, which would technically make me his cousin. Second, he already has a girlfriend who he's madly in love with, so it's not like I would ever have a chance with him anyway. Third, and probably the most important, is that I am a boy and he is a boy, and I'm pretty damn sure that he doesn't 'swing' that way. So it's pathetic. There's never ever going to be anything between us and I know that. So if I know that, why can't I get over it? Perhaps it's the feeling of wanting something you can't have. Humans seem to dwell on that a lot. We all want something we can't have. Let's not limit to the human species! Dogs, for example, love chocolate but can easily die if they consume too much of it. Of course, dog's minds are clearly not as developed as a human's, so they might not know that certain foods are harmful but nonetheless they are wanting something they can't have. Much like me, who wants a boy who doesn't feel the same way and is happily living his life. Percy is to a bar of chocolate, as I am a dog. He's dangerous, oh so very dangerous, but I can't help but want him badly.

New day, new day, new day, I remind myself constantly as I get ready. My alarm clock on the nightstand reads 4:37. Typical. Along with the long list of problems I have, insomnia can be added to it. I don't fall asleep very easily and when I do, I can almost always wake by the sound of a pin dropping. I also usually wake up early. In conclusion, with the going to sleep late, waking up multiple times throughout the night, and waking up early, I probably get, at the most, 4 hours of sleep a night. And naps? Forget it.

I go to take a look at myself in the mirror. I see a very thin, very pale, very scrawny boy with dark circles under his eyes, dark hair that doesn't look brushed and falls over only one of his eyes, dark eyes that look panicked and pained all the while being frightening, dark expression, dark clothing. A dark atmosphere seems to envelope him, surrounding him like a cloak. The boy in the mirror didn't speak, nor did I so I couldn't tell what personality he had. From the outside, a person looking in, he seemed like an extreme introvert, which wasn't far from the truth, with a dark personality. From the inside, the boy trying to know about himself, he was an introvert, but didn't necessarily want to be. He knew how dangerous it was to keep to himself, bottling his emotions and thoughts into his mind so much so that he relied on other people to pull him out of the seemingly bottomless pit these thoughts have dug for him. But it was the only thing he knew how to do.

He knew of things that make people happy, just not how to get them. He knew of love. He knew of family and friends. He had a vague sense of knowing how to belong. But in all of those things that could make a person feel better, he had gotten rotten luck on them all. His love would never love him back, his family could never come back, he couldn't make any friends, he didn't belong anywhere… Much like me. The boy in the mirror is just like me. I check my clock again, this time it reads 4:52. The Athena cabin would most likely be getting up soon. They tended to get up early along with the Demeter cabin, which loved watching the sunrise in the east. As I sit down, my bed creaks one of those horror movie sounds. It's not like a normal creaky bed, everything in my cabin is dubbed creepy. My cabin has this aura of well, death, and it terrifies people. No one comes here, which if I'm honest, is really comfortable. I don't get bothered by some annoying person-

A knock on my door. Loud. Bothering me. Someone knocks again. It disrupts my thoughts. I am apprehensive to open it. Should I? Who on earth would come to see me at such an early time like this? For all they know, I could be asleep like most others in camp. But I'm not. I should be sleeping. The door rattles. Whoever is outside really, really wants to come in. It scares me, not knowing who is out there. I want to find out. I want to open the door. Why can't I open the damn door?! I stand once again and shuffle towards it. One hand out, I stop right before, so my hand isn't yet touching the metal. KNOCK. I flinch. Suddenly I open the door and immediately look towards the ground, careful not to make eye contact.

I see boots. Black combat boots with mud and dirt on them. I lift my eyes ever so slightly and see the grimy boots attached to legs, which are uncovered as far as I dare to look. My eyes raise the tiniest bit more and I find the short black shorts that clearly used to be pants, ragged and uneven. Inching up the body, I see a black tank top. This figure is unbelievably skinny, much too skinny to be healthy. I see wiry arms, bony shoulders, rather large bosom for such a thin build, painfully skinny stomach. I go so far as to look at her neck. There are deep scars all over her neck and throat and what looks like vampire bites can clearly be seen near her collarbone.

"Hey arschloch, my eyes are up here," the faceless figure speaks to me. Her voice is soft but harsh. She doesn't have an accent except for when she called me an asshole in German. I know her. I know I can look at her now. I look up at Skipper's face, big eyes with a more intense blue than even Thalia's, thin nose, and chapped but luscious lips. One eyebrow was raised. She clearly was deciphering my mood and expression as she always does, so she could categorize it and help me if I needed it. I didn't.

"Look, can I come in or not?"

I stopped with my thoughts and quickly moved out of the doorframe, which I hadn't realized that I have been blocking the whole time. She casually walked in and collapsed on my bed. I still don't know why she does this. There are only two beds in the Hades cabin. They are not bunk beds as most of the other cabins have. And even though there is another bed, she always chooses to take mine. I don't think I will ever understand it. She started to make the bed hers, stretching and rolling up in the covers. She was scrunched up in a ball, as she always sleeps, facing the wall, turned away from me. I closed the door and sat on the edge of my bed. I studied her.

Skipper's hair was brown for the first time in a while and there was no trace of artificial colors in it. Random twigs and leaves were tangled throughout her braided hair. Sweat had matted down the little bangs that were too short to be braided. She was exhausted. That part was obvious. Skipper seldom slept; maybe 3 to 5 times a month. Yes, a month. Like I just said, she doesn't sleep. I gently pulled the covers down and tucked her in. Now, under normal circumstances, someone would just count it as friendly, but I only did that so I could study her more.

I could see her face now. Her cheeks were flushed with pink. There were cuts on her cheek and one of them looked fresh. Her expression was tense; like every part of her hurt. I went to touch her arm but she quickly moved away and curled up tighter. I coaxed her to lie on her stomach, which she did. Ever so gently, I put my hand in between her shoulder blades. I put pressure on her back and she groaned, more of pain than pleasure. My other hand found its way to her back, pushing down, moving in circles with my palms, careful not to hurt her further. She was unbelievably tense, her muscles screaming for relaxation. I tried to think of another way to help her but nothing came to mind, so I kept giving her a massage. I must have his a nerve, or a soft spot… Something she didn't like, for she let out a yelp and went to sitting before I could even comprehend what had happened. Skipper whimpered. I felt useless.

"What…?"

She looked at me with big blue eyes but she didn't speak.

"Tell me, please Skip. What happened," I begged.

A look I've never seen crossed her face. She bowed her head and whispered, " There were so many of them. I couldn't- I- I jus-" She looked up again with tears streaming down her face; another thing I've never seen Skip do. She cracked. She was broke. Shattered to pieces, and not all of them were there. I sat there dumfounded not knowing what to do. I put my arms around her as she buried her face in my chest, sobbing. I couldn't think. I needed to think. I had to. For Skipper. I had to figure something out so that I could help her and not be useless. But I couldn't think. My mind was overwhelmed by her sudden emotions. So I sat there, holding her in my arms, not able to do anything for the life of me to help her. She fell asleep only a few minutes later. My clock read 5:17.

I stared at the wall ahead of me and returned to my thoughts. They have been waiting for me. They are glad that I am now back. They say hello in a cruel way, dragging my Skipper into my subconscious. I shouldn't be worrying about her right now. She is asleep and all is well. When she awakes, I shall return to thinking of her but for now I should be free to think of other things. My mind has other in store for me. I go on to think about think about what could have caused her to become this emotional wreck. I hadn't the slightest clue. It upsets me greatly to see her in this state. My anger only rises to know that there's absolutely nothing I can do.

I sit and think like this for quite some time, not moving, not looking at anything else other than the wall that lies in front of me. I come out of my state of mind when Skipper begins to stir in my arms. I take a quick glance at the clock. 6:19. Breakfast will be starting soon. Will I go out today? I'm not sure. That all depends on what Skipper wants to do. She lets out a yawn that expose her deadly sharp canines. She looks around sleepily and looks up at me. I see that her eyes are now a deep red infused with gold.

"Your demon is showing," I kid.

She perks up and changes so her eyes are now blue and her fangs switch back to normal teeth. I hesitate to ask her about the earlier incident. I decide I'll wait. She changes her grimy outfit into my clothes, which fit her surprisingly well. Black band shirt, black jeans, black hoodie, you get the picture. Dark. I sum up that it suits her. It suits both of us, really. We are children of the Underworld, after all.


	2. Dead Friend Zombies

2. Dead Friend Zombies

It was decided that breakfast was a must. Skipper wanted to eat. Leaving my cabin, I followed her to the dining pavilion, glancing at the 20-foot scar I had left on the white marble flooring. It was right after I found out that Percy let Bianca die. No, I fought the other side of my brain. He never let her die. It was of her own free will that she decided to nobly sacrifice herself in the name of the quest. Sill, at the time, none of that had mattered. I blamed the guy I loved… Love. I shrugged the thoughts away and headed to my table.

Although there's a rule that all campers must stay at their cabin's table, Skipper always decides to challenge it. Chiron and Mr. D overlook it, though I'm still not sure why. Perhaps because we are the invisible type, maybe because they just don't care who the miserable people hang out with. I scratch the second. The tables are excused to go and get their food. Skipper gets up. I stay. If I want any, I can just steal from Skip's plate. She doesn't mind. She comes back with enough food to fill an army. All of which she intends to eat, all of which she will eat, and none of which will add to her skinny frame. She looks anorexic. It will remain a mystery to me on how she stays this way. Wiry. But anyone who underestimates her always pays the price. Leo once dared her to lift up Jason. She lifted up Frank instead saying, "Who's the top dog?" It didn't make any sense to me but Leo did a double take. She's not only strong, but immensely powerful too; though, she didn't show that side of her too often. Like me, she could also raise the dead. Unlike me, however she could also raise corpses. Freshly dead or rotting, decaying, reeking bodies. None of the other demigods saw her do that, for it only happened in times of great need, when she couldn't handle things by herself, which is to say, it is a very rare occasion.

Her plate was sparkling. She had eaten every scrap of food on it. She looked at a nymph like a child. No, like a puppy, begging for table scraps. Then nymph giggled, took her plate, and left. She came back a few moments later with breakfast desserts, as I called them. Skipper turned towards me an offered me a cinnamon roll with a bite missing out of it. Her chipmunk cheeks flushed as she smiled. I took the roll and ate it slowly. She had finished her desserts plate before I finished the roll.

"Damn, you're slow. I ate two plates of food already and you can't even finish a cinnamon roll. Bruh."

"Substituting the term 'bruh' for 'bro' is really rather hoodlum of you, is it not," I played.

"Bruh."

I rolled my eyes.

"Uh, whataya wanna do today," Skipper asked coyly.

"It doesn't really matter to me; although I do have a class today with Stein. Language class."

"Wait, what? Since when do you take language classes? Wait, what language? Wait- since when the hell does Stein teach demigods?!"

"You really have been gone a while, haven't you," I sighed, " Stein started to teach classes after some intellectual started a fight with the Athena cabin stating that Stalin was Germany's ruler during World War II." I waited for Skip's reaction.

"HAH! WHAT AN IDIOT! WHO THE HELL WOULD SAY THAT?! OH MY GODS, I CAN'T EVEN!"

"So, Stein talked to Mr. D and Chiron and asked for the okay to start teaching these kids something. They said yes and he's been teaching for I think about 2 months now." My friend looked surprised.

"So, like, do people pay attention?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

"Hm. Kay. Kay, let's go to...um, I don't know. Your cabin?" She said it with a sheepish grin.

"I don't need any convincing. I'm exhausted."

We left for my cabin while everyone else actually started doing things productively. I am one of the people that blends into the background. People know me and can recognize me but I just stick to the shadows. At least, I try to. Introvert, remember?

* * *

><p>I plopped down on the bed. it creaked a horror-movie 'hello'. I laid down and put my hands behind my head. Staring at the ceiling, I finally felt the comfortable poison Sleep wash over me. It would have gotten to me if Skipper hadn't gotten on top of me. I opened an eye cautiously. She stared down at me with a playful grin. Now, if any normal person of this day and age walked in on us right now, they would probably scold us with no end for being provocative, but what they wouldn't understand, is that it's completely normal and there is really no reason to be worried about <em>that<em> happening. I knew how she felt but she also knew how I felt and there was nothing she could do about that. She couldn't change the way I felt about relationships and such. She may not like it but she has to deal with it. Skipper was getting irritated. She was restless now that she had had her sleep for the week and was probably on a bit of a sugar high.

"Skip, knock it off."

She didn't budge. I groaned.

"Come on, get off of me. I'm serious."

She whined an pouted like an infant.

With no warning, I grabbed her and pulled her down in somewhat of a hug and then swiftly turned over so I was on top of her. Her cheeks flushed a deep rosy pink.

"Not cool, man."

"Are you going to stop?"

She didn't look at me. I sighed and rolled over, my face inches from the cold, black wall. She didn't bother me again. _Good_, I thought. Now I can finally get some sleep. I could also think for awhile if I wanted to. My mind started to fight again, choosing sides like the gods did before wars. One part of me desperately needed to sleep. my body needs sleep. My mind needs sleep. I have to sleep. The other part of me said, "Why sleep when you can think about more important things!" My brain kept at this until the warm yet harsh poison Sleep finally fell upon me. Sleep washed over me, dulling my senses, making my sight blur and fade to black. The voices in my head now stopped. I thanked the poison for letting me fall into it's clutches.

It was Skipper who rescued me from Sleep's wrath, shaking me gently awake. She had said I had been tense. Too tense to her liking. I told her I had no idea and that I didn't have a bad dream, which wasn't too far from the truth. I had, in fact, had a dream but it was peaceful despite how tense she claimed me to be. I wouldn't tell Skipper. No, not this one. It's a personal dream. There was something I was trying to remember. Yes, something I don't remember that I am trying to find, though I don't know what and I haven't the slightest clue.

Skipper was unsatisfied.

"I'm fine. Honest."

She looked away. I yawned. My clock read 10:19. I felt even more weighed down by exhaustion that before. Another yawn escaped my lips. I sat up, still in a sleepy haze. Skipper wrapped her arms around me. She nuzzled my neck with the tip of her nose. I could feel her hot breath, soft and light, on my neck. I could see through the childish act. I knew exactly what she wanted. I felt her tongue on my jawline moving slowly towards my ear. I felt her breath accelerate slightly. She nipped at the corner of my ear. My breath hitched in the back of my throat. Her small chuckle was full of greed and lust. She got me. She always gets what she wants anyway so whats the point in resisting? She was once again on top of me.

No. No, I will not let this happen. I pushed her away.

"Stop," I begged. It only came out as a whisper.

"Just stop!" The tone and voice level used implied the harshness I felt within.

I looked back at Skipper, who wouldn't look at me.

i was numb. My mind was blank. What did I- The door slammed shut and I was once again the only one in the cabin.

_Skipper..._


	3. Headshot and Ribs

3. Headshot and Ribs

Of course she was frustrated. I denied her of what she wanted. So she ran off, like a child. Dare I bring up the point of wanting what we can't have?

Although she is my closest friend, I will not allow myself to be persuaded to do something that I don't feel is right. I want to go and find her. I want to go and apologize. But I can't. And I won't. To be frank, she really pissed me off.

No, I shouldn't say that. She is my best friend. I know I won't be able to stay mad at her. Damn. I can't think straight. I need to let this go. Maybe she left again. She might have gone to Germany or Russia or France. Maybe Chicago or Oregon. Who knows, she could be back in a month or she could be back in a few minutes. She could be killing something or she could be crying. No. Scratch that. Skipper doesn't cry. Who knows?

I don't care.

_I don't care.._

I. Don't. Care.

But I do care. I don't want to see my best friend upset. What kind of friend would I be?!

But she's the one who made a wrong move! What am I supposed to do, tell her that everything is okay?! No!

My mind fades back to reality and realize my hand is stinging. There's blood on my knuckles. What did I-… my eyes find the wall. There's a concentrated area on the wall with blood on it. My blood. From my hand.

I punched the wall? When did I do that? I don't remember doing that. I didn't even feel anything. Why hadn't I felt anything?! What the hell is wrong with me? My hand hurts. Badly. Surely I couldn't have broken anything. I have to go see Stein about this. He is a doctor, after all. He could tell me what I did. but what might he say? Would he ask me what happened?

Okay, just make a story up. Make one up. Easy.

* * *

><p>"I'm not going to ask what happened if that's what you're worried about," said Dr. Stein as he wrapped up my hand. My hand wasn't broken but instead bruised. Badly.<p>

"However, I might be inclined to tell you that should something like this happen again, I will question it. And I will know if you are lying. In other words, try to be careful."

I couldn't face him. He knew something was up. I cleared my throat.

places her "Yes sir."

"Alright, then. Run along. Oh and, you might try and calm down the beast, yes?"

He was talking about Skipper. I didn't speak.

* * *

><p>I found Skipper in the forest, playing with some dead squirrels. They were freshly dead and there were two of them. One of them, a light brown, had his ribs sticking out of his body and half of his tail was gone. I wonder what had took a few bites out of him. The other squirrel, almost black, Had two small arrows sticking out of him, one sprouting from his beady, black left eye, and the other coming out of his chest. Poor little guys. I mean there's plenty of squirrels to go around, but seeing them like this is kind of sad, because they are kind of cute.<p>

She hadn't noticed me yet. I take a step forward, my foot killing tons of already dead leaves. Skipper gasps and turns around. Not expecting me, she starts to babble. Then she looked at me. Her face goes bright red and she turns around with a huff. I don't want to apologize. I'm not sorry for what I did. And why should I be? But I know that if I don't things between us won't get any better.

"Hey, Skip."

"What do you want," she replies with attitude.

No. This is stupid. I'm not going to do it. I will not back down. It's not my fault she is being a stubborn child.

"Forget it," and I walked off. But a voice stopped me. A voice that was soft, sweet, and harsh all at the same time.

"Kid, get back here."

_Don't do it. Don't turn around. Don't you dare turn around. that is exactly what she wants. Don't give her what she wants. You're not her dog. Don't give in to her._

_Oh, shut up._

I turn around. I breathe heavily, almost a sigh. My jaw is set and my eyes are narrowed. I can sense the anger, unwanted, rolling off of me. She can sense it too. Skipper's expression is harsh. Her jaw is set as well. She can sense the anger and she only returns the favor. But she stops as suddenly as she starts. Her expression softens tremendously and her blue eyes stare at the ground.

"Whatever," she pouted.

I look up. Gray clouds. Nice weather. I take a deep breath.

"Come here."

She gives me a dubious look. So I repeat myself, this time a bit louder and more firm.

"Come. Here."

Hesitantly, she stands up and walks over to me. I notice something I hadn't before. She was barefoot. Hmm, strange. Skipper stands in front of me, her eyes level with my neck. She doesn't like listening to me. She doesn't like taking someone else's orders. Especially from someone lower in ranks than her. I wrap my arms around her and pull her in to a hug. She gasp's, not sure what to do but then sighs and places her arms around my neck. I take another deep breath. She smells of mint, like usual. We sit where we stood. My back was against a tree. She continues to cling to me with her face buried in my chest. I know what she's doing. Nothing bad. She's listening to my heart beat. She does that often. I hold her.

Time was lost. The hours were slipping away. The sun was going down. Some of the worst monsters in camp would start roaming soon. Yet I stayed with her. She didn't wake up for sometime. I waited for her. She roused later still and looked up at me. I cocked my head to the side.

"Nice eyes."

She changed back to normal.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know."

We start to walk back to my cabin. I look back at the squirrels, who are nestled together sleeping in a ball. _Best friends_, I think to myself quietly with a slight smile.

I think back back to when we were kids, one of the few memories I still have left from that time. It was in California. Some soldiers had just gotten back from the war. They were in awful, awful shape but they were so, so happy. There were two friends, their names I've long forgotten, but they were just happy to be home. One of them had lost one of his arms and the other had lost both his arms. Being the child I was and having the mind I did, that is of a child's, I stupidly asked something along the lines of," How are you going to wear your jackets?"

The two men laughed. Skipper, who had remained silent, said, "Yeah, how will you put them on?"

The soldiers laughed again and one of them said, " Well I supposed we can't but I'm sure there are some good people who can take care of them and grow into them one day. Do you know who might be available for such a difficult task?" Skipper got excited and jumped up and down.

"Oh me! Me, me! Pick me! I can clean the jacket, and when I grow up I'll be big enough to wear it! Oh, please, please, please!"

Both soldiers had the warmest of smiles across their faces. The man that still had and arm held both of their jackets. One dirty, brown aviators jacket and the other, a black aviators jacket.

* * *

><p>Matching jackets. I looked at the black leather that clothed Skipper. I have it's twin. A pair of twin jackets. From best friends. To best friends. The best friend club. Me and Skip, the only two who could ever be in it.<p> 


	4. Like Clockwork

4. Like Clockwork

Skipper and I finally get back to the cabin. She plops down on my bed. I still do not understand why she does this. My clock reports that the time is now 11:23. I should change into pajama's but- I just feel too lazy, so I didn't. I lay on the bed, close to the wall. I wait for her to say something. She will, I know it. She'll get bored and say something. Skipper whines. My friend tells me that it is 11:36.

I don't talk to her. That would just be giving in again and I would lose much too easily. Slowly, I feel myself succumbing to the ruthless enemy, Sleep. My mind is going. My body feels numb. My eyes are so, so heavy. I have to close them. Sleep sends me a yawn. I feel him creeping up again slowly, slowly. So slowly. Sleep is warmer than usual, hie temperature above the freezing level at which he grabs me and holds me in causing me to be tense, causing me to be anxious. I like that he is warmer today. He is kind that way. But I can't allow myself to be sucked into the lies of my enemy. It is too late, for he has me in an iron grip, dragging me into a black void, warm and gentle, but hiding petrifying dreams. I suffocate the further deep I go until I can't feel anymore. I am now asleep.

I notice something strange and wrong with my deductions. It is so often that I call him an enemy, and so often that Sleep brings me to the conscious, living world in a screaming, sweating panic of a boy. I call him cold and I call him ruthless, but in all reality, he is trying to help me. He is trying to help me escape from an even greater hell that is Consciousness. It is not even Sleep who brings me back, but myself. I fight him too much even though he is trying to be a helpful ally in the war against an insanity which Consciousness keeps me in.

I feel myself coming back from the above freezing black void Sleep protected me in. I feel something. _Why did I fall asleep? That wasn't supposed to happen!_

_Wake up..._

_Wake up!_

I feel my mind's gears start to turn again. I finally register that Skipper has found a way, once again, to get her way, and, piss me off. Sitting on top of me once again, Skipper, who was looking highly satisfied, had her hands on my chest. She pushed me up to almost a sitting position with her legs. It hurt, when she did that. With one leg on either side of mine, she stood on her knees and looked at me her piercing blue eyes. I'm sure she didn't notice it, but her eyes slowly changed to a deep red fused with gold streaks, beautiful but deadly. She leaned over me pressing her lips against mine. I wouldn't return it. She moved on, tracing my jaw with the tip of her tongue. _Stop it. Please_. She wouldn't. Her tongue reached my ear. _Damn!_ My breath caught in the back of my throat. From my ear her tongue traveled down my neck to my collar bone. She kissed my neck... And I liked it. I liked everything about it. Her soft hair, her warmth, her passion. I tilted my head up to the ceiling so she had more access to my neck. She kissed me endlessly. I moaned.

_No. Please no. I don't want to... I don't... _

But I did. I did want to. I wanted her. I- I...

I didn't protest as she came back and tried to put her tongue in my mouth. It was weird, kissing. Especially since I've never kissed anyone before. I don't even know how to explain it. I don't think I can even if I tired. All I knew is that I was losing to her. And for now, I didn't really care. Just like I didn't care when she frenched me, I also didn't try to stop her when she pulled off my shirt. Her arms were around my neck. Her hands grasped my hair and the back of my head as I kissed her back and with force. Now, I'm not sure when it happened, but somehow it did. Her shirt, I mean. It was lying on the floor. How did that get there again?

"Sk...Skipper," I breathed.

She continued with her erotic kissing. My breathing is so heavy that I can't hear myself think. She's driving me crazy. Her hand moves down. Down. To me. She manages to get my pants undone with one hand while the other massages the back of my neck. How does she know that spot? Skipper's hand makes its way into my pants. It's strange to me that she didn't go under my boxers. She grabbed me through the thin cloth causing me to moan. Again. There's a curious feeling from deep within me. _Oh, gods please no. No. No, no, no. I can't so this. No. Please stop. Please. I can't take this anymore. I really can't. I won't. _

"Stop," I let out through clenched teeth.

But she doesn't stop. She only grips me harder.

"Ah!"

She only laughs.

"Oh, baby... You like that, huh?"

_Please stop... Please...I'm done. I'm done._

I push her away with force.

"Fuck off!"

With that, my pants are zipped. I grab my shirt off the floor and proceed to put it back on. I'm out the door before she even has time to register what had happened. The door slams shut behind me. I walk around with no destination in particular. I just keep walking. I don't know where I'm going. And I don't care. I have to talk to someone. I can't keep this in my head. Then I'll really go insane. But who the hell will talk to me now, at this time of night?! I stop. My eyes search for the cabin. Bingo. Very normal looking in the moonlight. If I squint I can almost see the gold. Cabin seven, dedicated to Apollo.

_I have to go talk to Will..._


	5. Kicking and Screaming

5. Kicking and Screaming

I start heading towards the Apollo cabin but I never seem to make it. What I notice next is that I'm just sitting on the ground, not doing anything. I hunch over and run my hands through my hair. I just want to scream. Scream like hell. I can't think. I can't function. _Gods, what have I done? _She has to go. She needs to leave. She can't stay here. She has places she can stay. She has a home... Maybe I'll be the one to go. Maybe I can just leave. Hey, that's an idea. Yeah, I could just go to the Underworld and stay there for a bit. Yeah... I'll do that. That's what I'll do.

I detangle my hands from my hair. My head hurts. I still can't think. There's voices in my head again, like usual, but a lot worse. I look back up at the slightly golden cabin in the silver moonlight. The U of cabins looks so peaceful. The harpies are no where to be found. i suppose I won't be eaten tonight. There's an urge inside me to go talk to someone, but I don't know if I should go wake him up or not.

* * *

><p>After some fighting with myself, in the process making myself look like a loony person, I finally decided to go with it.<p>

I didn't knock on the cabin door; I didn't want to wake everyone up. Who knows how old that cabin was. The door creaked as I opened it. There were bunks in the room, squished together, though not enough bodies to fill the warm looking beds. I could make out Will in the subtle silver light, his golden blonde hair turning almost white. The son of Apollo was lying on his stomach, with his face smushed on the bed. It made his rosy cheeks look childish but cute. He had a funny way of taking up the whole bed. His arm draped over the side and hung down almost to the ground. His blanket only half-covered him. It's funny; he looks as if her wrestled the blanket and the blanket won. It wrapped around his waits like a boa constrictor. I start to stare at his unclothed back... I let my thoughts drift. He's really, really handsome... _No. Stop it. _

I have to remind myself to stay quiet for his siblings could be light sleepers. Will slept like one of the kids from the Hypnos cabin. He could probably sleep through a fire drill. I'm sure Leo would love to test that one out. I crept over to him and proceeded to whisper him awake. Of course, that didn't work. I try to shake him gently to rouse him from his slumber. No luck. I crouch down and poke his face like a child. That tactic also failed. My last attempt, however, finally broke him from his rest. I shook him a great deal harder and whispered at him harshly to get up. At first he just groaned and swatted me away as if I were an annoying fly whose buzzing was unwanted. He lazily opened one eye. He saw me and straightened up. I was met with a quizzical look but Will's expression changed to concern soon after. _Gods, how beautiful his eyes are._ I suppose my expression must have seemed like I was having a nervous breakdown, and in all truthfulness, it almost felt that way. I turned away from him. I couldn't meet his eyes. His beautiful, sky blue eyes, worried for my sake. He stood up to, oh I don't know, inspect me? He sighed and pushed past me to retrieve a light blue hoodie. He grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door. I certainly didn't protest.

I got a good look at him now. He was almost half a foot taller than me and his shaggy blonde hair stuck out in odd places, which I found rather cute. His eyes kept darting around but he only was looking at me. I probably blushed when I realized it. He gave me a smirk. It only made me blush more, so I looked down. I had forgotten about him being shirtless. His hoodie was not zipped and I could see every line, scar, and muscle on his fit abdomen. I don't know that it could happen, but I felt even more blood rush to my face. I swiftly turned away so I could no longer look at this hunk. Yes, I said hunk. I didn't know what to do.

"You're so adorable," he teased.

Could my face get more red?!

"Stop," I said through clenched teeth.

He sighed. "Oh fine. Don't let me have my fun. Y'know, it's pretty obvious... You do know that, right?"

"Please..." I _really_ didn't feel like talking about this with him.

"So what's buggin' you?" I was taken aback how his tone of voice changed so suddenly. He had just been joking with in a bubbly, sing-song way, and now he was this serious, concerned friend willing to help. Not to mention his voice was somewhat deep. And, as much as I didn't want it to, it turned me on greatly.

"Skip's back." My voice was quiet. I'm a shy person. I just stared at the ground.

"She is, isn't she," he said more to himself than to me. He chuckled. "I think she might like you more than I do."

I snapped towards him. My eyes were wide. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I could feel the skeleton butterflies coming back. He laughed at me. That damned Apollo kid laughed at me.

"Ugh, stop doing that!"

I didn't have a clue what he was talking about. "Stop doing what?"

"Blushing, you damn cutie!"

Oh my gods.

_Oh my gods..._

_Oh. My. Gods._

"Did I not tell you to stop blushing just now?" He leaned over with a devilish grin. "Now you have to pay up for not listening to me, punk! Look at me."

I did not look at him.

"C'mon kid, look at me."

The ground was dark.

"Nico..."

I finally gave in and looked into his baby blues that were wickedly sexy and inches from my own dark eyes.

He kissed me.

He kissed me again.

He kissed me one last time.

"See, that's what's gonna' happen if you choose not to listen to me. Got it, punk?"

My heart. It was pumping so fast. It felt bad. My chest hurt. My stomach churned. I looked at him again before getting up and running to the nearest bush. I coughed and sputtered after purging what little was actually in my stomach. _How the hell am I supposed to turn around and face him after doing that?! What the hell is wrong with you,_ I thought. I never heard him sneak up behind me.

"Heh, you could have just said you didn't like the kiss."

"It's not that. It's not that at all," I croaked.

"Yeah, no shit. Otherwise I'd actually be offended."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to kiss him back. I wanted to tell him how I really and truly felt. But I couldn't. And I wouldn't. The only words I could actually spit out were," She tried to fuck me."

Will was silent for a moment before whistling. He then said, "And you didn't try to get with that? You coulda' had it made, dude. She likes you a lot, y'know."

"I'M GAY, WILL. I DON'T LIKE SKIPPER. I DON'T LIKE ANNABETH. I DON'T LIKE ANY OF THEM! I like Percy Jackson! I like Leo Valdez! I like you! I'm not attracted to them! I'm attracted to guys. I like men. I don't like women. Why can't people just understand that and leave me be?!"

By now I was crying, which I hated to do with anyone around. It took me a while to actually understand that I had just confessed my feelings for three guys, two of them who didn't know and were completely straight. And oh joy, that had love interests already.

I crumpled to the ground. I couldn't move. Or speak. Or breath. I just cried. I couldn't even stop myself. It was pathetic. I shook and I shivered. The tears wouldn't stop coming. Will tried his best to calm me down. He kneeled and held me close to his chest. He was so warm. He kept saying things like "shh, I know how you feel" and "don't worry man, it'll get better, I promise". I eventually quieted down to sniffling. My chest still felt heavy. And Will was still holding me. I felt safe. I felt warm. I felt as if Sleep were a much nicer being now. Sleep opened his arms wide in embrace and I joined him. He still suffocated me down into that black void, but it was well over freezing temperatures, and I felt less panic.

I felt... _peaceful._


	6. Shadow of the Future

6. Shadow of the Future

The peacefulness I felt during sleep didn't last long after I woke up; maybe 2 or 3 seconds, max. In those 2 or 3 seconds, I realized my surroundings. I was not in my own bed, I was not in my own cabin, there was a bed above me, and a half-naked boy next to me. After adjusting, I tried to get up and sneak out. I don't know why I had to sneak, because all the Apollo cabin was fast asleep. I got up out of the warm bed and as I started to make my way to the door, I felt a hand grab the back of my shirt.

"Oh, no, Pretty Boy. You're not going anywhere."

The color drained from my face. He scared me half to death, and as a child of Hades, I actually know how that felt.

"C'mon," he said tiredly as he patted the bed, telling me to sit next to him.

I sat on the edge of the bed.

"No," Will sounded as if he were coaxing a small child. But I guess that's okay, considering I was acting like one. "Come here, Nico. Seriously."

I couldn't resist him any longer. He propped himself up with his elbow and held his other arm out towards me. I gave in. I curled into his body and rest my head on his chest. He held me again. Gods, he was so warm. Not just temperature-wise but his demeanor and attitude. The whole atmosphere around him just seemed so,... light. Yes, yes, son of Apollo being light, ha ha. I couldn't help but laugh at my own joke. I lay there and listened to his heart beat. He rubbed my back softly. I felt tired again. So tired. Sleep took me moments later, and I agreed to be sucked into the void.

* * *

><p>I awoke later to the sun blinding me. I realized Will wasn't there. I looked around but he was not anywhere in the cabin. His siblings were gone too. No clock anywhere so I had no clue what time it was. I didn't like that; to not know the time was like to not know my name. I considered going to the pavilion but decided against it. I had to get back to my cabin to change and such.<p>

* * *

><p>Back at my cabin I found Skipper snoring. Not loudly, but still, snoring. She was also not in my bed. She was using the spare. Hm. Next to her and around her, strewn about the black comforter, were pills. Lot's of them. The orange bottle was on the floor. I picked up the bottle. Mine. Of course. They were my prescription sleeping pills, given to me by Stein. He used his vast doctoring knowledge to diagnose me with insomnia. Joy. I didn't take them very often. Only when Consciousness became insufferable, did I ever take them.<p>

My eye spies something in the corner of the room. In the mirror, if only a fraction of a second, was a face. I checked the corner of my ceiling where the face was. Nothing was there. I walked over to the mirror. The closer I got, the darker I felt. My mirror was a gift from my father and Persephone. Much like the fountain in the Poseidon cabin, my mirror showed me things, usually from the underworld, but sometimes in my own cabin. And a messenger was here. I stood in front of the mirror. Reflecting was me, and my room. All was normal except for the black fog that gathered around the feet of the boy in the mirror. Again, I saw the same face in the corner of my room. I spun around, determined that I would find this specter. Nothing. I turned to face the other me in the mirror. My heart stopped a moment when I found the face just over my dopplegänger's* shoulder.

The otherworldly figure was a woman. She was slightly transparent with bluish tinted skin. Her pale skin was without any blemishes or wrinkles. Her eyes frightened me; sunken in and ever-changing. They changed, from pure sparkling obsidian to completely milk-white to my least favorite, pure blood-red, as if all the valentines in the world had been squeezed dry, distilled into a poisonous mixture.** Her attire also changed. From a tattered victorian-era dress to ripped rags to a tight leather bodysuit/dress.

The spirit lifted her hand to reveal a black dagger. The dagger, which I assumed was made of Stygian iron, morphed into an arrow. The arrow was shining and gold, contrasting the muted colors in the mirror. The boy in the mirror looked nervous, like he knew what was coming. Perhaps he did. My reflection was the only one affected- physically, I mean. The golden arrow sprouted from the dopplegänger's chest. It had gone right through his heart. I had not been affected... Yet.

* * *

><p>The image of me had spooked me. I had a feeling of who might have sent it, which cast me into a fit of uncontrollable shaking for a few minutes. The air in my cabin seemed colder since the mirror message. I didn't want to stay in here any longer. My clock reads 11:57. Almost noon. <em>Huh<em>. I hadn't been aware of how much time had passed. Skipper was still fast asleep. I wondered how long the drugs would last. Things like medicine and alcohol didn't have the same effect on Skip as it did other people. I watched her drink 2 full bottles of vodka. She didn't fall asleep, get sick, act stupid, act awkward. She just became a bit numb. It was the strangest thing to me. I still don't understand it. Maybe it's her tolerance level. She's definitely been alive long enough to develop quite a high one. I hope she's not cold... I scoop up the rest of the pills and put them back in the bottle. She wasn't totally lying in top of the blanket. I pulled it out from under her and tucked her in. I can't help but smile. She looks like a child when she sleeps. Much more peaceful. The cold air of the Hades cabin gets even colder. I can't stand it. I have to go outside.

When I get outside, I can't decide where to go. I could go swimming in the lake. Ha, no. I could climb the rock wall. Definitely not. I could go to the arena and watch people fight. Eh.

The arena it is.

When I get there, all I hear is Leo using his new music system. He makes playlists and such for battles, a new game in Camp Half-Blood as of about a month ago. Camp Battles can fit into smaller the categories: 1 on 1, 2 on 2, or 3 on 3. Usually, 1 on 1 is more fun to watch. The game rules are pretty much anything goes, especially since Stein is always there watching the battle for major injuries. I see Leo messing around with the controllers of his high-tech gadget, pressing buttons, spinning dials, and occasionally hitting the expensive and fragile looking machine with a monkey wrench. Actually in the arena, I see a battle being fought by the Revengists. Ethan Nakamura and Rin Himura from the Nemesis. Both are of Japanese descent and love a good battle. Leo always make's sure to play jrock*** when they are fighting. It seems to help and they always appear to have a good time. No one really wins from the Nemesis cabin. They are always too busy trying to get even with each other.

Ethan Nakamura was a slim guy with a slim build. He's about my height, around 5' 8". He was kind of me in a way in the muscle department, we both are strong, but it doesn't show much because of how skinny we are. He has sleek dark black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. He wears a black eyepatch over his left eye. The story goes something like his mother took it so he could gain something, though no one really knows if the eye is still there or not. If Rin knows, she hasn't told anyone.

Rin, much like her brother, has straight black hair that always moves fluidly. Her hair comes to just about her shoulders and frames her face with asymmetrical bangs that almost covers her left eye. Himura's face is cute in a child-like way with pouty cheeks and thin lips. She is 15, one year younger than Nakamura and I, but a lot shorter, maybe 5' 4". Although they are both Japanese, Rin seems to take on more of the characteristics.

Ethan and Rin, along with Will, Leo, and Skipper, are people whom I would consider friends. I suppose I get along better with Rin than Ethan. Pretty much everyone does. Ethan often sticks to himself and help's out his sister, as long as she deserves it, of course. Rin's nickname to our 'group' is "Little Japan" or "Lil' Japan".

I suppose I can't say that I don't have any friends, because I really do. I am tempted to interrupt the siblings fight but it seemed I didn't have to. Rin had pinned Ethan. He was stuck to the wall with a, believe it or not, a ninja star catching his shirt on the wall, less than an inch from his arm. She giggles and walks away to go get a drink. She sees me and stops for a quick wave and, "Hi, Nico," before resuming to a jog to go get some water.

"And we have our winner! Little Japan, Rin Himura of the nemesis cabin defeats Ethan Nakamura also of the nemesis cabin! Which sibling will win next time? Only time will tell," Leo's voice boomed through the speakers to an audience of 1.

Ethan nods hello to me and I return it. See? Friend. Someone who doesn't think I'm either a freak, or 'some creepy death dude' as Leo likes to put it. Rin returns moments later still slightly panting. Ethan gives her a very hard pat on the back. He only really interacts with his sister on a normal human-being level. Well, at least how normal human we demigods can be.

* * *

><p><em><strong>6136: okay so there are some things I might need to clarify.<strong>_

_... dopplgänger's* **- referring to Nico's reflection in the magic mirror.****  
><strong>_

_... as if all the valentines in the world had been...** **- page 293 of House of Hades, taken from Cupid's description**_

_... jrock*** **- Japanese rock music**_

_**OTHER NOTES- **_

_**Rin Himura- looks like Ryo from jrock band RevleZ**_


	7. The Fourth Addition

7. The Fourth Addition

As the Revengists get cooled off, Leo hops off of his little podium to go congratulate Rin for her 'big win'. He mocks Ethan a bit but the son of Nemesis only smiles. He's a pretty nice guy, just kind of quiet. I have a sneaking suspicion that he let Rin win instead of her beating him fair and square because almost all the other times they have fought, he usually won by a land slide of a defeat. I would do something like that, I suppose. If I were to duel with Hazel I could easily win but I would probably let her beat me. It's the nice thing to do. Rin felt pretty proud of herself. Everyone knew it. She came up to me and bowed as if she were still in her home country, Japan. I returned the gesture.

"Did you see how I got him? Wasn't it good? Yay, I beat him again haha," she spoke, her accent slipping through. Her accent was cute. It made her seem even more childish. She was just a big ball of fun, and everybody thought so. Our fun little meeting time was interrupted by the sound of horse hooves pounding against the ground. They slowed down a bit. We all then saw Chiron, the centaur that was our activities director. Was he almost breathing heavily? No... no, he would have to be in a mighty hurry to be breathing heavily. The look on his face said otherwise. He had something to say.

"Nico," he turned towards me, " a word with you at the big house, young one."

I was shocked. And nervous. And maybe even a little frightened. Me? At the big house? I tried to think of something I might have done to cause trouble. Maybe someone saw me and Will and told what they had seen? What could I have done? What could I- My thoughts were interrupted by Chiron's voice. It was soothing, but very urgent.

"We must go to the big house. There was a- er, a situation."

My heart stopped. Had something happened to Hazel? Is she okay? What the hell happen-

"Your sister is fine, she is safe and healthy," he said, as if reading my mind.

I got the courage to look at him. "Let's go."

Rin's smile had long gone along with Ethan's who was trying to figure out if I had done something. Even Leo's elfish smile had vanished.

I followed Chiron to the big house in silence. He didn't try to break it which seemed out of character to me. When we arrived, the atmosphere seemed... cold. Chilling. It sent a shiver down my spine. Stein sat on the couch discussing something with Mr. D, whom I still secretly called the wine dude, and he looked actually interested. Of course, Stein stopped talking when I walked in and straightened up. He was the only one who smiled.

"Nico! Pleasure."

He knew I was nervous. Everyone could tell I was afraid.

"Nico, I assure y-"

Stein butted in before Chiron could finish, "There has been an incident, not too long ago. Not with anyone pertaining to you directly. On the other side of the globe, in Egypt, to be exact. There have been reports from numerous protectors that there have been some... ah, happenings shall we say, involving your kind of specialties. In simpler terms, death is surrounding a small part of Cairo, and it seems to be getting heavier and heavier and also on the rise. Now, this is a very large task to ask of you and you can always decline, but just think. You could go to Cairo, take care of the little problem, and explore a new place filled with new things you have never experienced before. It will be fully educational. You can hone your skills and learn new things of culture et cetera. This is all up to you. Whataya say?"

I couldn't speak. Me? Go to Cairo? I suppose it would be fun. And Stein is right about the educational value of it all. "When um... When would I go? And uh, would I be taking anyone with?"

Stein sat and thought for a few moments before answering, "I'm sure we could fund a few more people... Why not? Sure, go ahead and take a few!"

Stein was so cheery about this like it was the best thing that's happened in a long time. I could see through his little act. And I'm sure he knew I could. So why continue this childish play? Why not tell me the real danger? why not tell me what I was really going there to face? Oh well, I suppose I'll find out in Cairo.

"I'll go."

Stein's eyes narrowed for a split second, but he went to being his fake cheery self, "Well, great! I just know you'll have so much fun and learn so much! Alright. Good. C'mon then, I'll walk ya back to- where'd ya come from, your cabin? The arena?"

"Arena," I said quietly.

"Alright, then I'll walk you back." His smile made me sick. I wanted to yell at him to stop treating me like I had no idea what was going on but in all truth, I was clueless.

Once the door to the big house shut he became quiet. I glanced at him. His expression was hardened. I couldn't tell if he was mad, or just trying to let me know things in a simpler way and just didn't want to say it.

"This will not be easy," his voice was colder that the atmosphere of the big house. I shivered. "I am asking you in particular to do this because I know most others could not fulfill this task. You're power is very similar, but not the same. Remember that. That bit will help you. There is a young man, with an undetermined godly side. I need you to try and bring him here. He is different from you, and he will fight you every step of the way, but try to bear with him. Although you have your differences, you are much more similar that you imagine. Bond with him and make him your friend. Be careful. Also, you asked if you could take some people along with you. I really hope you meant people besides Skipper. Perhaps Rin or Ethan. Will might be helpful. Even Leo. Don't take Skipper. It would be highly misguided. Most of all. Please, please- just be careful. I trust you can get there and back, and if you need anything, you can always use an Iris message. You'll check you're backpack before you leave, I hope. I wish you the best of luck. Don't forget to enjoy yourself."

I had to think of people to bring with. The arena still had the same 3 people in it. Rin piped up when she saw me. "Nico-kun! Konbanwa! What happened, Onii-chan?"

"Well, I have a task to fulfill. In Egypt. And I uh, I need a team."

"Oooh, could I go? Could I go? I have never been to there before. I would so love to go there!"

I looked over at Ethan who didn't share his sisters enthusiasm.

"I do not want to go, and I do not want my sister to go, either," he spoke to me. Rin's face reddened as she went to hit her brother. She hit him multiple times before calming down.

"Nico-kun... I want to go. I don't care what my brother says. I want to go."

I opened my mouth to say something, but shut it and looked at Ethan who was silently pleading to me to tell Rin no.

"You can go," I said quietly. Ethan snapped. He stormed out of the arena. I felt bad for saying that and I didn't need an enemy, but his sister deserved to see the world and he just had to accept it.

"Dude. I wanna go! Think of all the hot chicks! Bruh, I'm sooo gonna go with you."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>I told Will about the ordeal later and he agreed to come with us. He said for me to be extra careful and I told him I would. He kissed me afterwards. Only on the cheek, but it made my whole day.<p>

"Luv ya Nico."

I blushed and didn't say anything back.

* * *

><p>We met at midnight.<p>

"Are you all ready," I asked.

"Hai."

"Ready as I'll ever be, dude. Ready to see the babes."

"Let's go, Nico."

"Right," I answered.

I explained to them how shadow-travel worked and when they said they were all good, I took them to our destination.

* * *

><p>Egypt. Huh.<p>

The first thing I noticed was the heat. The next, was the blackness and the ground rushing to meet me.


	8. With Great Power

8. With Great Power...**  
><strong>

The ground had rushed to meet me. I can't say I felt the same way towards it.

* * *

><p>I awoke in a pool of sweat. From what I could see, it was sometime late at night. There wasn't much light in the room but I did get a look around. The ceiling was white and scratchy looking with a tan-glass chandelier. The chandelier was nice, with smooth shards of sandy colored glass connected to it by a chain of interlocking polished quartz with an amber glow. The walls had the same scratchy looking texture as the ceiling. They were plain and barren except for a very intricately designed mirror on the opposite corner of the room, diagonal to the bed I was laying on. The bed was very comfortable, but the sheets were a whole other story. The sheets were made out of this scratchy wool and they were much too hot for the desert. <em>At least we made it<em>, I thought. I tried to get up and winced in pain. I must have made a sound because there was a lot of rustling from what I assumed was the bathroom and out sprang Will running to my aid.

"Nico! Oh gods, Nico. You okay? What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

I was taken aback and couldn't answer him for a few moments. I said something real intelligent like, "Uh."

He leaned over me really close, much too close for comfort. And sniffled.

"I was so worried about you, dammit!"

I was taken further aback at his sudden crying. I didn't know what to do.

"Will. Will, it's fine. It's okay Look at me, I'm good. See?"

He seemed better now, after I calmed him down a bit. He shuffled so that he was on top of me and I blushed. He sniffled and laughed.

"Are you always gonna do that?"

"Do what?"

"Blush what I'm affectionate towards you."

I became more red. The only thing I could do in this situation was turn and look away, so I did. I looked at the brilliantly bright moon. It had a yellow glow to it. Very pretty. That's when Will took control. He made one quick line up my neck with his tongue. I got a chill down my spine. I tried to turn my head back toward him, but I couldn't. His kisses just felt way too good. He traveled up and down my neck, kissing every part of it. He moved to my mouth, and I certainly didn't refuse. I kissed him back with what I would call passion but since I was hopelessly inexperienced, it was probably very sloppy. I don't think Will cared about that. I felt his hand on my neck, rubbing that one spot that just... I moaned. He liked that. I felt like it was hard to breathe. His other hand was traveling down towards my pants. Gods, I wanted that so much. I wanted him to... I gasped. I stopped everything and scooted away. Will was upset that I had done that, but he was also guilty for what had happened to him. I looked down at the pillow lying next to me.

"Nico... Look, I'm sorry but," he paused," look, if you are gonna be dating me and other guys and stuff, get used to it. It's what happens when a guy gets turned on and don't pretend like you don't know it."

Now it was my turn to feel guilty. "Sorry," I mumbled.

There was a very awkward moment of silence before will grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards him. My hand came in to contact with his hard member and I flinched. He Moved his hips closer to me so that I cupped him.

"There you go," he breathed.

He started to kiss me again. He pulled my shirt off and rubbed my naked back. His hands rested at my hips where he started to thumb at the side of my pants. I brought my hand back up and grabbed his hair. Fuck, he was hot. I took my turn kissing his neck. His shirt was off in a matter of moments. My mouth moved down to his collar bones. He moaned. I felt satisfactory. He pushed me down into the bed with his legs on either side of me, having me pinned. His strong arms pinned my own. He kissed my neck again right under my chin. I gasped. I felt him push against me. I felt him wanting me. Needing me. Needing my body. I wasn't sure what to do. Oh, it felt so good. Will moved down on me again his hand sliding in my pants under my boxers.

"Holy fuck," he breathed. "Babe, you're fucking big."

Oh, gods. Awkward. Yes, I was larger than most guys. He didn't need to point that out. He grabbed me and I winced.

"Nnn."

He chuckled and felt me up. His hand moved in a rhythmic pattern which my hips eventually followed. My breathing became heavy, and I couldn't think. A warm, tingling sensation could be felt in the deepest part of my belly. Fuck. Fuck! He moved with more intensity than before. Will's hand was out of my pants and cupping the back of my neck. I squeezed my eyes shut. He was for the most part gentle, but very, very strong. He started grinding on me. His breathing became heavy too. He slowed down, almost to a stop, and looked at me. I couldn't believe he stopped. I looked at him in shock as his breathing became lighter and lighter, until it was back to normal.

"So," he said.

I could only stare back at him.

"So, do you feel better?"

My jaw dropped. I pushed him off of me and sat up.

_"That- _was_ teasing?!"_

Will laughed at me and got off the bed. He went around the corner so I couldn't see him.

"Nico, you should get some sleep though... Well, even though you've been sleeping for like two days. We got some shit to do tomorrow. Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility. Gods, I love Spiderman."

I laughed and remembered a simpler time, when even though we were amidst chaos, cracking a joke or a smile was easy and could lift the spirits of a hundred people.

"With great power, comes great need to take a nap... Wake me up later," I mumbled to myself, smiling.

"What, Nico?"

"Oh, uh, n-nothing. You should get some sleep."

"Whatever you say babe. Night."

I smiled. And then I went to go meet my enemy-turned-friend Sleep, who greeted me with open arms.


	9. Cloaked

9. Cloaked

I awoke before the others, and decided it was time for a walk. I had no idea where I was, or where I was going. I just walked. I made an educated guess that we were in the city of Cairo. It was hot. The sun wasn't up. It was somewhat quiet with deserted streets. I didn't go far from the hotel. When I got back to the room, I was met with 3 pairs of eyes. Will hid his worried look under a mask of relief.

"Hey, you're back!"

"Um, yeah."

"Ohayou, Nico-kun," Rin said in her chipper tone.

"Hi Rin."

"Duuude. You were passed_ out, _man! You slept for like, I don't know, two days or somethin'," Leo chimed in.

"Oh, haha. I had no idea. It happens when I travel pretty far. Or if I take too many people. Stuff like that. One time I accidentally shadow-traveled to China. Afterwards I was asleep for about a week," I took a deep breath," So. Does anyone know what we are up against? Like, how we might fight it, what it is?"

"There have been some reports," Rin started," that there is a man of some young age, maybe even ours, that is up to no good. He has been seen stealing and using some sort of magic among other things... He also is said to have some power that is similar to yours, Onii-chan. He is a rebel in the cities' eyes and has a reputation of a very bad person. Apparently, he had a brawl with some law officers and won. People think that he is a notorious gang leader but others say that he is just a bad kid from a bad part of town. There was some 'photographic evidence' of him being in line with another person who might be his accomplice. The other person is female and young- any age from 15-25- and has been known to be a decoy."

"Wow. So tell me Rin, where did you learn all of this?"

The Revengist blushed. "Well, I... I may have lied to a few people and said I was doing a report on something or other."

"Wait a minute. So like, how did you even talk to people. You're Japanese," Leo wondered aloud.

"Oh!" Her face flushed again. "You see, well, my family wanted to take me here to learn about this place when I was younger but I had to learn the language first. So I did, but- we uh, never got around to it," Rin turned to the ground as she said the last bit. We all knew something had happened to her family the past few years, but we never had the guts to ask her. And she never brought it up. It was too painful for her to think about it, and we didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so we let it go.

"Did you catch anything on where this person and said accomplice might be located?"

"Um, no. Well, actually, I suppose I did. The, and I quote, 'slummiest of the slums', according to someone I asked. That's all i got, sorry."

"No, no. That's a good start. We can go later today. We'll find the bad parts of town, ask around and see if anyone had heard or seen anything, and then we can start to look. Thanks, Rin!"

She blushed again before replying with a small, "Arigato."

* * *

><p>We all stayed together in a small group instead of splitting up and going alone. Leo, although he could literally set himself on fire, would not stop complaining about the heat. It was a good 95˚ out and it was starting to get to us all. Rin asked around and near dusk we ended up in what I would like to call hell. There were shady-looking muscular guys with cuts and bruises giving us nasty looks, women with next-to-nothing in the clothes department who kept trying to get money from us, and children randomly running about with messy hair and loud voices. The slums. I noticed many children with skinny bodies and sad looks on their faces. I hated this place. The worse thing was the darkness that shrouded the place like a thick fog of hatred, death, and despair. It clung to the makeshift houses and tents. It surrounded the sick and dying, who had nothing but pain to hold on to. I didn't like this feeling. I wanted to put a stop to it as soon as possible. But how do you stop something if you don't even have a clue where it is coming from? The answer is simple. You can't.<p>

Rin was the one who broke the silence when she pointed out the dark energy flowing in wave-like patterns. It had a purple and black glow and it gave out amplified negativity with every pulse. The first wave was hardly noticeable. After around the 7th or 8th hit, I was having a hard time focusing. No one else noticed. Rin seemed to be having a tough time by the 10th wave. She doubled over and cried out.

"Make it stop! Make it go away," she screamed.

Being a son of Hades, I thought I could simply tell the darkness to go away or find another host. I willed the dark current to come towards me and back off from Rin. It didn't seem to work. She screamed out again in agony. As quickly as the blast had hit her, it vanished. Himura sat on the dust ground in a daze, sniffling and crying. Leo pat her on the back and whispered something I couldn't make out. She turned to look up at him and half-smiled before completely breaking down and pulling him into an uncomfortable-looking hug. Leo looked about as surprised as the rest of us but he eased himself to the ground and held the girl for a few moments. She toughened up after a few minutes.

"I'm okay now."

I scanned my surroundings. The darkness was gone. The whole cloud of despair had vanished. I couldn't make sense of it all. The gears in my mind finally started turning. If the darkness had come and gone so quickly, the source of it all had to have gone too. If the source is on the move, it could be running from something. If the source is running from something, it could mean it sensed us. It could mean he sensed us, assuming that the source of this dark matter was the teen Stein had described. It would be stopped. It would be vanquished. I will destroy this thing of hatred. I promise.

It was my turn to feel the wrath of the force. The worst of my memories came rushing back to me. First was my old neighbor Pietro, who had literally gone insane from what was assumed to be PTSD after fighting in the war. The next scene was the hotel in which my mother was murdered. Thunder boomed yet there were no clouds to be seen. There was a flash and- The scene shifted again to a place that was very familiar. Camp Half-Blood. I was standing in the pavilion with Percy talking to me. No. Please, gods no, not this. Not this again... I let myself fall to the ground. The scene shifted again. The place I was in now was cold, dark, and gods-awful. Tartarus. It dredged up more of my most painful memories. _Please stop.._. Please. I screamed. I couldn't stop screaming. The memories only became worse. A pain was growing in my body. A physical pain along with the mental and emotional pain my memories brought me. I knew I would pass out if this didn't end soon. Is the source close to us, I thought. It's picking on me. He is picking on the son of Hades. My vision- although the only thing I could see were these retched memories- was beginning to darken around the edges.

My memories faded rather quickly. I still felt like passing out. My breathing slowed down and I looked up to face our attackers.


End file.
